Aeroplane



E. WILDER.-

AEROPLANE.

APPLiCATION FILED AUG- 9. 192].

1,424,055, Patented July 25; 1922,

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOR 209 mu l EUGENE VII/405R 4 rromvsrs E. WILDER.

AEROPLANE.

fives/vs W/LDER Arromvfys EUGENE 'WILDER, OF BOULDER, COLOR-ADO.

AEROPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, raae.

Application filed August 9, 1921. Serial No. 490,907.

T 0 all whom 2'2 may concern:

Be it 'lrnown that I, EUGENE lVinnun, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boulder, in the county of Boulder and State of (lolorado, have invented a new and Improved Aeroplane, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description.

Thegencral object of my invention is to provide an aeroplane adapted for the oarrying of passengers, with their baggage, and so constructed and arranged as to have large capacity and the maximum margin of safety, the idea being to navigate the aeroplane at the lowest practical height, so that the elements of safety and. large capacity and high power may be obtained, as well as comparative comfort for the passenger.

The invention resides in the novel construction and arrangement as hereinafter more particularly described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part. of this specifiCHIlOIh'lt' being understood that the draw tings are merely illustrative of one example of the invention.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of an aeroplane constructed in accordance with my invention. V

Figure 2 is transverse vertical section on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure is an enlarged detail of the rudder operating means, the view being taken onthe line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4. is a horizontal section on the line -14l'0f Figure 1.

A frame 10 is provided forthe body of the structure and is made up of tubular elements. Supported on the frame is a lower plane 11 and an upper plane 12, said planes being of any approved metal construction that will afford a maximum strength. The upper plane 12 presents an area materially greater than the lower plane 11 and it projects beyond the same at the back and front, as well as at the ends, the purpose being to constitute the upper plane a retarder to give the effect of a parachute in permitting the plane to lower while maintaining its normal position. The frame is provided with wheels, preferably castor wheels, 14, the

spindles of which turn in vertical sockets 13 depending from the tubular frame 10. A suitable lamp 15 is arranged on the frame member 18 and disposed beneath the bottom of the frame.

With the propulsion of the aeroplane, I

provide front and rear propellers 16, there being shown a pairof front propellers and a pair of rear propellers, these being disposed respectively in the front and rear of the frame 10. The shafts 16 -of the propellers 16 are directly driven by motors 17 of any approved form, and here conventional'lyshown, said motors having standards 20 formed witheyes 19,through which pass tubular frame members 18, esitending from front to rear of the frame andconnected with the bottom frame -members 24:. The frame members 18 arearranged in sets of three and a pair of motors is provided for. each set of three frame members, the motors of a pair being disposed in adjacent parallel planes so that the eyes 28" of the adjacent sidesof'a pair of motors willhave support on thecentral frame member 18 of the set of three.

From the bottom frame members2e rise standards 25 supporting the lower plane 11, said standards being continued above the plane 11 to form posts 26 supporting the upper plane 12, the said plane 12 at each end of the. plane being supported by additional posts 26 rising from the lowerplane 11 be yond the ends of the main body frame 10. The posts 26.; 26 are braced by tensionbars or X braces 27 which ,are secured in practice to the respective posts atthe top and loot- The nutom in any approved manner. meral ,29 indicates a, fuel reservoirsupportedat the under side of the-plane '11.

The 'body frame 10 is covered with wire netting 28, and partitions 28 of similar material are provided, separating the body into a central compartment 21 to accommodate the pilot and side compartments 22, 23, one of which is provided for passengers and the other for baggage of the passengers or miscellaneous freight. At the front and back, the frame 10 as thus screened is provided with doors 28 at the respective compartments, 21, 22, 23.

The aeroplane is equipped with horizontal rudder elements 30 and vertical rudder ele" -ments 31 mounted on a tubular shaft 32 supported in a frame 33, the, supporting and operating means of the shaft 32 being as follows: The said shaft 32 extends through a hub 34 at the rear end of the frame 33, said hub having horizontal trunnions 35 turnably supported in a ring 36, said ring having vertical trunnions 37 turning in a fixed ring 38 integral with the frame 33, the

arrangement permitting up and down movements of the horizonal rudder elements 30 and lateral movements of the vertical rudder elements 81. A cable 39 runs over pulleys 40, the ends extending laterally inward to a connection as at 41, to the forward end of the sh: ft 32. The cable 39 extends about and is fastened to a head -12 on a vertical shaft 43, so that the manual turning of said shaft will laterally swing the forward end of the rudder shaft 32 to right or left,

according to the direction of turning of said shaft 43, to thereby move the vertical rudder elements 81 to the right or left for lateral steering. For vertical steering. a cable is runs over pulleys above and below the shaft 32, the ends of the cables running respectively upwardly and downwardly to the central connecting point ll with the shaft 32, so that the turning of the head 46 will raise or lower the adjacent end of the ruddershaft to tilt the horizontal rudder elements to the desired angle.- The shaft i3 is swiveled in bearings 48 in the lower plane 11, and the said bearings on the shaft 47 have hand wheels 49, 50 thereon, or equivalent means to turn theshaftsn The described construction provides ample end compartments for the passengers baggage and an ample centralcompartment for the pilot and his assistant, and the wire mesh covering and partitions offer the minimum resistance to travel of the aeroplane whileaifording view on all sides. The struc ture of the frame and the arrangement of the planes 11 and 12 are designed with a View to provide great strength with lightness, as well as the maximum stability. The dispositionof the motors in pairs in parallel planes at each side of the medial line of the machine also materially contributes to stability. r

I provide suitable means whereby the front propellers 16 may be disposed in various angular positions.- As one means for the purpose I have shown the front ends 16 of the front shafts 16 which are secured by a universal pivot or gimbal joint as at 51 and on the said end is a collar 52 or the like to whirl] a link 53 is connected, said link being ronnected also with a lever 54 pivoted as at 55 to'a suitable fixed support such as a bracket 56 depending from the lower plane 11.

I would state in ronclusion that while the illustrated example constitutes a practical embodiment of my invention, I do not limit. myself strictly to the details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, ll claim:

1. An aeroplane comprising a body frame enclosed by screen material and separated by vertical partitions into compartments, said frame comprising bottom members and standards rising from the bottom members, upper and lower planes, the lower plane being supported on said body frame and the standards of said body frame being extended upwardly beyond the bottom plane and constituting supporting posts for the upper plane, there being additional posts between the upper and lower planes beyond the body frame. 7

2. An aeroplane including a body frame having rigid members extending from the front to the back of the frame in sets of three, a pair of motors supported on each set of three frame members, the motors of a pair being arranged in adjacent parallel planes and adjacent motors having the sup port on the intermediate frame member in the set of three.

EUGENE WILDER. 

